ENG-U19 vs IND-U19

And that brings the curtains down on what has truly been the most magnificent ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean. It has been nothing short of a pleasure bringing the coverage of the same to you here on Sportskeeda and we cannot thank you enough for tuning in for the same over these last three weeks or so. The cricketing action doesn't stop there of course - loads more coming your way with the 2nd ODI of the Women's Ashes starting in about two and a half hours from now before the Men's teams from India and West Indies kickstart their limited-overs leg in Ahmedabad. Do catch our coverage of those games right here on this very platform. Thank you so much once again - you've been a magnificent audience! On behalf of all our folks here at Sportskeeda, this is Sooryanarayanan Sesha, along with my good friend and co-commentator Pratyush Rohra, bidding adieu! And of course, here's a reminder to mask up and get vaccinated in case you haven't already. Good night, take care and stay safe!

The tricolor is out and on either side of the banner that reads CHAMPIONS, the Indian Colts are having the time of their lives. Some of them have had to deal with the dreaded virus and have had to remain in isolation as a result too. This is their moment - they're going to party alright!

The World Cup winning skipper Yash Dhull receives the trophy from the great Sir Richie Richardson. They pose for the cameras even as the confetti bursts in the background. And the party begins - the players lift the trophy in a huddle and let out raucous cheers! Chak de India plays in the background at the venue - what a campaign these lads have had! They are World Cup medalists and that, is something!

Yash Dhull (Indian captain): Proud moment as an Indian. We are all proud to achieve something for our country. We were facing a few difficulties in terms of combinations. However, we took some time and came together quite well. Over a period, we settled in like a family. They (England) batted quite well, it was a good comeback. We were just focused on our batting. It was a great moment to have our coaches around. We learned a lot from them, which we will look to carry forward as individuals and as cricketers. 

Tom Prest (England Captain): Choosing to bat first, we'd have liked a better start. The way James Rew batted was brilliant - he deserved a hundred. Definitely - we've got a strong bowling attack. Taking a wicket in the first over got our mood up. They obviously batted very well with a couple of good partnerships. It's been amazing - not only the cricket but the media exposure we've got - doing interviews like this. It's something we will never forget. A couple (laughs as he's asked if he has made friends from other countries). It's been incredible - a few of our parents have come over here to support us but our families back home have supported us a lot. It's been amazing to test ourselves against the best players of our age. We feel proud of what we've achieved.

Dewald Brevis of South Africa is the Player of the Tournament for his 506 runs and 7 wickets. Three fifties and two hundreds - not the last we're going to see of this man folks! The lad's here to stay!

Raj Bawa (Player of the Match): It always feels great to contribute for the team in any match. Even more so in the finals. So, that makes it even more special. We tried to execute all the plans we discussed. (On if he enjoys bowling or batting more) I enjoy doing both (laughs).

Sir Andy Roberts, Sir Curtly Ambrose and Sir Richie Richardson are a part of the presentation ceremony! What a moment for these young lads to stand on a massive stage in the presence of these legends!

Spare a moment for England though - they've been magnificent this tournament and they surely made a fist of it. They didn't budge until the very end and ensured that they made the Indians work hard for this win. Truly worthy finalists and skipper Tom Prest and Head Coach Richard Dawson can be proud of their side. Pretty sure we're going to hear a lot of these English names do wonders in the years to come for the senior side!

Ravi Kumar: The coaches just told us to do our best. They said it might or might not be your day but just asked us to keep our focus and try to keep doing our best. There was something on offer in the first innings, so I just made the most of that. My favourite wicket was the first one today.

Shaik Rasheed: It feels great. Winning the World Cup - I'm really happy to have win. It was about assessing the scoreboard and taking it accordingly. England started well with a couple of wickets but it was about playing normal cricket for us.

VVS Laxman: A huge congratulations to the selection committee. It was a huge challenge for them to get this side together and they did a splendid job. The boys have worked really hard. We all know what happened in the tournament. To test positive and come back like this, it's all credit to the boys. The BCCI structure deserves huge praise. There hasn't been much domestic cricket in India, so they haven't played consistent cricket in a long time. They've won the Asia Cup recently and the preparation for the World Cup was fantastic too. This is important but this is just about starting their journey. It's about developing them further on into successful cricketers. 

Hrishikesh Kanitkar (Indian Head Coach): It was a great performance - happy with the result. We've learnt a lot from this. We were looking to bat as well but there was something in the wicket so we thought we might as well exploit that. (On Nishant Sindhu) He's got a good head on his shoulders and thinks about the situation really well. It's a fabulous competition getting the stage to perform at this young age. It's a great opportunity to showcase your talent.

India 195/6 in 47.4 overs (Nishant Sindhu 50* off 54 balls, Shaik Rasheed 50 off 84 balls, Joshua Boyden 2/24 off 7 overs) beat England 189 all out, by 4 wickets.

For the heartbreak of 2020, it's ecstasy in 2022 for India. A mindboggling five trophies for India and this is incredible considering that this unit wasn't able to play together owing to the pandemic over the last two years. This is a special team and a special batch that has pulled off something of a similar kind.

A chase of 190 wasn't going to be a stroll in the park by any means and Joshua Boyden proved it to the Indians with the wicket of Angkrish Raghuvanshi. There was a hint of movement upfront but Harnoor Singh and Shaik Rasheed were happy to bide their time and wait for the right opportunities. Both showed a measured approach with good footwork while cashing in on anything too straight or too wide.

Harnoor was snuffed down leg by one that reared off the deck with Alex Horton plucking a pearler of a catch with the gloves. That brought the Indian captain Yash Dhull to the crease with deputy Rasheed and the former's entry immediately increased the tempo with a better display of striker rotation.

That seemed to have a positive impact on Rasheed as well with the right-hander from Andhra starting to pick the gaps a lot more frequently. Just as soon as he notched up his fifty though, he threw it away with a needless shank across the line. Dhull threw it away soon after as England catapulted their way back into the contest.

That was when the man of the day, Raj Bawa, stepped in with the bat this time. Adding to his five-fer earlier in the contest, he brought in the much-needed composure that the Indians were after and Nishant Sindhu was a steady ally at the other end as well. Their stand of 67 shut the doors on England...

...at least that's what we thought it looked like! Bawa chipped one down the throat of mid-on and Rehan Ahmed plucked a stunner at backward point. That, along with India taking it deep just brought the nerves jangling back into the Indian camp again. You could have cut the tension out there with a knife alright!

In the end though, the inevitable was bound to happen - Sindhu notched up a sublime half-century of the highest quality, given the circumstances and two expansive hits from Dinesh Bana sealed the deal for India. We've seen an Indian wicket-keeper seal a World Cup with a swing over the leg-side, haven't we? This is Bana's moment to savor - this is a moment for Yash Dhull and Co. to savor. Their journey has just begun but what a way to kickstart a future that's glaring bright into their eyes!